Willy DeVille, an integral figure in the late-’70s New York City punk scene, died of pancreatic cancer on Aug. 6 at age 58, according to a representative. The singer’s family announced his diagnosis earlier this summer.
DeVille’s work with the band Mink DeVille and as a solo artist drew widespread critical praise for incorporating elements of many global music styles. Watch a live performance of Mink DeVille’s 1977 single “Spanish Stroll” below, then let us know: How will you remember Willy DeVille?
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Willy wrote and sang “Storybook Love”, the ballad from The Princess Bride, using the melodies written by Mark Knopfler for the soundrack. What an amazing voice he had!
I had the sincere pleasure and great honor of meeting Mr. DeVille and interviewing him in the late 90’s. He was an amazing person, very intelligent, articulate, and funny. He was a true professional and a credit to his industry. I have loved his music since my teens and I hope he is at peace. Songs like Walk That Little Girl Home, Spanish Stroll, the songs he did for the Cruisin’ soundtrack, etc have played a huge part in my life. I hope he and Johnny are jammin’ somewhere!
Sad indeed. RIP.
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He was a wildly romantic figure who brought the Philly soul sensibility to punk.
I will remember Mr Willy Deville as a bad ass mutha -f**er!
R.I.P.
Another real deal dude gone…let his spirit soar!
Went to many of his concerts in the Netherlands and Germay in the early 80’s. Absoluty love his music. Very upset about his death! RIP, Willy!
Best Willy: Mixed up shook up girl.
Willy will be greatly missed, he was a great talent and true friend…
Wow! How much space do I have? I have been a huge fan of Willy’s work for almost 30 years and have been fortunate enough to both see him perform live and meet him. He has had a huge impact on my life, the good times and the bad. I will always remember him for his heart, soul, humor, intelligence and, most of all his incomparable talent. Those who never were fans may never understand but to know Willy is to love him, and I always will!!
I was late to appreciate the wonderful talent of Willy Deville,as a dear friend told me he was America’s best kept secret.Fortunately the folks in Europe knew talent when they saw it.Had I not stumbled across Willy one day I would not have met some wonderful friends,Leslie,Carrin,Lynn,Ingrid,
and Manuela.RIP Willy,your music lives on esp,Heaven Stood Still.
I share everyone’s grief.
Willy was an immense talent.
For the no-nothing headline writers to label him “punk” is to do him a disservice. He was as much a curator of r”n”r history as he was an original artist.
He’s gone; and Manilow walks among us. There’s no justice in this world.
“Like a moth oh so truly to a flame it closely flys and the blossoms open slowly and from the trees so quickly dies” A tragic loss of one of our finest Artisits
Thats sad.He was young.The 70s was a great time of music.Back then like Aerosmith.Santana.Earth.wind.fire. the Eagles.Heart.The Runaways.Van Halen.America.The Bee Gees.Favorite songs Barracuda.Witchy woman.Black magic woman.Horse with no Name.Tin Man.Jive Talking.You should be Dancing.Sweet Emotion.Mother Kin.Also ELO Strange magic.Also Hello Stranger by Yvonne Elliman.You Really Got me.Ice cream man.
That is really sad news. I had made a resoluton that the next time he came to BB Kings in NYC, I was going to be there. I saw Mink DeVille around 1980 in a Theatre in NYC, and they were great. I bought the Mink DeVille Album “Coup De Grace”, and thought it had a lot of the NJ sound in it, but his sound evolved alot after that. I saw him a couple of times after that in 1984. Once at a club named Xanadu in Asbury Park, NJ, and the NYC DJ Carrol Miller gave away a mink coat before the shoe. The second time was at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park during a wicked snow storm, on a nite that the police raided the place. That was a crazy night. It’s funny now because even if you listed to his first couple of Mink DeVille albums, they do not sound like punk music, but he was such a big part of that scene at CBGB’s with Blonndie, The Talking Heads and the Ramones. I started getting into his solo work just in the last couple of years, and picked up a few CD’s (The Best of Mink Deville, Crow Jane Alley and Miracle). He has been getting a lot of play on my stereo over the last year. There is an awsome DVD available of him performing at the Paridiso in Amsterdam that I highly reccomend if you ever were a fan and lost track of him.
How damn sad.